Four in court over Roko's death

Accra, Sept. 21, GNA - Four persons believed to be among a gang of six armed robbers in the metropolis on Friday appeared before the Osu District Magistrate court for their alleged involvement in the murder Mr Roko Frimpong, the Deputy Managing Director of the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB).

Francis Ankobea aka Nana Sei, William Agbavor, Foster Kwame Boakye, Samuel MacCarthy who are being held for conspiracy and murder are alleged to have admitted their involvement in the crime. The court did not take their pleas and remanded them into police custody to reappear on October 30. Two of their accomplices, Atta Kakra and Jonathan Abbey aka Joe are at large.

Earlier, Mr. Dela Blagodzi, who represented Ankobea, told the court that his client was ready to assist the Police in their investigations in order to prove his innocence.

Mr Blagodzi said the police should also expedite investigations into the matter adding; "At the appropriate time, we would lead evidence to exonerate ourselves."

The other accused persons were not represented by any lawyer. Prosecution however, prayed the court to remand them into police custody to enable the Police to continue with their investigations which the court obliged. A duplicate docket is being forwarded to the Attorney General's Department for study.

Prosecuting Inspector Anthony Afetsi said Mr. Frimpong, now deceased resided at Sakumono, while the accused belonged to a deadly armed robbery gang operating in the Accra/Tema Metropolis.

Inspector Afetsi said on July 28, this year, at about 2030 hours, the six-member gang boarded a seized Opel Vectra car with registration No GR 4735 P, armed themselves with two pump action guns and one locally manufacture pistol and stormed the deceased residence. They pulled the deceased out of his main gate, fired at him and quickly sped off.

Prosecution said Ankobea, Agbavor, Boakye and MacCarthy have admitted their involvement in the crime and mentioned Abbey, now at large as the one who pulled the trigger on the deceased.

Inspector Afetsi said the accused person have however, denied that they were hired to eliminate the deceas ed but claimed that they went there to rob the deceased of his money.

Prosecution said the locally manufactured gun and a cash of A28,000,000 cedis believed to be part of MacCarthy's share after committing the crime have been retrieved. Inspector Afetsi said the Police were making efforts to apprehend the two other suspects and retrieve the guns.